This application claims the benefit of International Application Number PCT/EP00/03510, which was published in English on Dec. 7, 2000.
The present invention relates to a dishwashing machine preferably, although not exclusively for home use.
The typical architecture of a machine of the above mentioned kind is generally known to comprise, within a structural outer casing, a washing vessel which is in most cases made of stainless steel and has an open front face so as to enable the washload items to be conveniently loaded and unloaded into and from it. Such washload items are generally arranged on two or more racks that are capable of sliding horizontally and are sprayed by some rotating spray arms. The above cited front face of the washing vessel of the machine is adapted to be closed by a door hinged on the lower edge thereof. Through the inner surface of such a door, the user is then able to gain access to the washing and rinsing product (ie. detergents, rinsing aids and the like) dispensing means.
While the performance capabilities of dishwashing machines in terms of cleaning effectiveness, efficiency in the usage of energy and water, as well as noise generation during operation have improved to a significant extent as compared with the first models of such machines that appeared on the market approx. forty or fifty years ago, the architecture of present-day dishwashing machines has on the contrary remained substantially the same.
To the best knowledge of the Applicant, there are currently no dishwashing machines on the market which are known to have an architecture that might constitute a reference for the present invention. It is anyway felt adequate to hint in this context at some proposals of so-to-say rather unconventional designs, ie. constructional solutions, that are however not known to have ever been able to find any practical implementation.
DE-A-2 820 778 discloses a machine constituted by functional blocks, all of which made of moulded thermoplastic material. Two of such functional blocks consist of a pair of drawers arranged one above the other one and adapted to be loaded with the washload items. These drawers are capable of sliding with respect to the washing vessel of the machine individually, ie. in a fully independent manner from each other. When said drawers are in their retracted position, their front panels shut the open front face of the washing vessel. To each one of said drawers there are associated a rotating spray arm and a tubular connection that is capable to be connected in a bayonet-joint manner to a water supply conduit provided outside the washing vessel. It should finally be noticed that, in this washing machine, the position of the washing and rinsing aid dispensers is on the control panel located above the open front face of the washing vessel.
Italian utility model No. 140 081 discloses in turn a dishwashing machine in which the washload items are supported by three racks arranged above one another and capable of sliding horizontally through the open front face of the washing vessel in a manner that is fully independent from each other. The sole architectural difference that can be noticed here with respect to a traditional dishwashing machine consists in that the rack located in the highest position, ie. on top of the other ones, is firmly joined to a front panel, which therefore is also capable of sliding with respect to the washing vessel so as to be able to partially close the front face thereof. The other two racks, which are capable of being removed from the washing vessel even separately from each other, are located behind a traditional loading door that is hinged along the lower edge and is so adapted to close the remaining portion of the open front face of the washing vessel. No further innovative features can be found in this patent as far as the actual architecture of the machine is concerned, its particularly stated purpose being merely to point out that the most delicate washload items are in fact loaded on the upper rack and sprayed by less intensive water jets.
In US-A-2 668 091, the washing vessel of a dishwashing machine designed to be built under a counter or kitchen sink worktop is capable of being loaded through the upper face thereof, which is adapted to be closed by means of a lid hinged along a horizontal axis. Apart from the inconvenience resulting for the user from the need for the racks loaded with the washload items to be lifted and lowered through the open upper face of the washing vessel, a machine of such a kind appears to be scarcely reliable owing to the fact that it is fully slidable horizontally on rails that are attached to the cabinet carrying the kitchen sink.
The dishwashing machine disclosed in IT-A-76 1 058 is characterized in that it is provided with a small water-tight chamber located inside the washing vessel to the purpose of allowing for xe2x80x9ca small amount of washload items, such as for example the ones used by an average household for breakfast, to be washed separatelyxe2x80x9d. Such a function of said small water-tight chamber, while certainly plausible in the mid of the Sixties, when this patent has actually been filed, is clearly inconsistent with the current push towards a reduction in energy and water usage, so that washing cycles tend to be only carried out when the dishwashing machine is loaded to its full rated capacity.
It therefore is a main purpose of the present invention to provide a dishwashing machine that has an architecture which is definitely innovative and, moreover, offers a level of convenience that is far greater than the one of traditional machines, while ensuring performance and efficiency capabilities that are in full compliance with the newest, most demanding environment-protection regulations and directives.
The features of the machine enabling this and further aims to be reached are recited in the appended claims.